Move eight years later, to November 6, 1999. The NASCAR Busch Series runs at PIR for the first time. The winner? Then-three-time NEXTEL Cup champion Jeff Gordon, behind the wheel of the No. 24 Pepsi Chevrolet, taking the checkers following a heated battle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. down the stretch.

Another eight years down the long and winding road of racing, Jeff Gordon returns to PIR with another championship under his belt, a victor in 75 NEXTEL Cup races with the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. However, three of the 22 tracks on the NEXTEL Cup Series circuit continue to stump the veteran racer, leaving him just shy of the spoils of victory. Despite wins in USAC and the NASCAR Busch Series, and a number of great finishes throughout the progression of his Hall of Fame career, Jeff Gordon has yet to win on the one-mile desert oval of PIR in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series.

That isn't to say that Gordon hasn't come close. His seven top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at PIR are each second all-time, just one behind the eight and 14, respectively, of Mark Martin. Gordon has put the DuPont Chevrolet in the lead in seven of his 16 starts at PIR. Of those 16 starts, he has completed 4820 of 4940 laps, not finishing the event only in his first start back in 1993 due to handling issues.

Gordon led 100 laps in the 2004 event at PIR, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Ryan Newman pulled away from the four-time champion in a green-white-checkered finish, leaving him third, a fate he also experienced in 2002 and November 2005.

Amid the many finishes that were so close yet so far away, Gordon remains optimistic about his desert chances.

"I really enjoy the challenge of this track, and we generally seem to run well here," Gordon said of Phoenix. "There were a couple of times I thought we had a shot at the victory but pit strategy or something else ruined those chances. There have been other times, though, when we fought the handling all day but salvaged a respectable finish."

Entering Phoenix, Gordon knows that racing on the one-mile oval of PIR should be an interesting situation for the Car of Tomorrow. The track's length will produce faster speeds, and in turn, aerodynamic effects will change.

"I think this race (in Phoenix) will give us a better idea of where we are with the Car of Tomorrow. It's a lot faster track where aerodynamics are much more of a factor. It may not give me the comfort level I'm looking for, but we have to get as much speed out of the car as possible while making it handle the best we can. Hopefully, we do that better than the competition."

Bright Lights. Big Party. NASCAR at Night! NASCAR action heats up when the lights come on for the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ Weekend at PIR, April 19-21, 2007. The party kicks off under the lights for Thursday's AlphaTrade.com 150 NASCAR Grand National Division West Series race. Friday night's fiesta is the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 NASCAR Busch Series race. Then, the action reaches its pinnacle when the cars and stars of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series take the track for the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™, the first night race of the 2007 NEXTEL Cup Season. Tickets are now on sale for the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ weekend at PIR and can be purchased online at www.racetickets.com or by calling 1-866-408-7223. For additional information on the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ Weekend, visit www.phoenixraceway.com or call 623-463-5600.